April 15, 2023 – Malaga, Spain

We had a fabulous sunset last night.  Arrived in port of Malaga early this morning.  The sky is so blue without any clouds.  We are in the Andalusia region of Spain.  It’s a region of hills, rivers and farmland bordering Spain’s southern coast.

Malaga has a rich history that spans 28 centuries.  Founded by the Phoenicians in 770 BC and then became a Roman colony 550 years later.  The Moors invaded in the 8th century and brought with them Islamic art and architecture.  Moorish rule began to crumble in 1469 when two of the most powerful Spanish Kingdoms – Queen Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, united.  Their combined forces led to the Reconquest of Spain, which lead to the Moors’ surrender in 1492.  Evidence of the Moors is still very visible today.

We are taking a tour today to the town of Ronda.  One of Spain’s oldest cities.  Ronda sits atop dramatic cliffs and is divided by a gorge.  It’s historic and picturesque views make for a prime tourist destination.  There are so many places to see in this port, it was difficult to pick.  If you ever come to this region, here are a few places to consider:

In Granada, two mesmerizing UNESCO World Heritage Sites acclaimed as ‘an exceptional example of royal Arab residences of the medieval period’.

1) Generalife is Charles V’s Renaissance palace and is surrounded by this ornate, Moorist terraced water garden.  “Escalera del Agua”, a waterfall that cascades down a flight of stairs from the upper patio to the chapel below.

2) Alhambra, the jewel of Granada is a 14th century fortress-palace complex, famed for its superb mosaics, graceful columns and courtyards.  

Other sites to see in this area:

– Alcazaba is an old Moorish fortress, perched above the city offering panoramic views of Granada and the Mediterranean.  

– Marbella – the most famous resort on the Costa del Sol.  Marbella retains its original charm with cobbled streets and whitewashed houses and Gothic style architecture.

– El Castillo de Gibralfaro is a Muslim fortress built on a hill in the middle of the city.

– Museum of Picasso – Over 155 works of the famed painter, donated by his family, are proudly displayed in this museum dedicated to its celebrated resident.

– Malaga Cathedral – it boasts a Baroque exterior, a Renaissance altar and superb choir stalls.  

A bit further out from Malaga is the Caminito Del Ray – Spain’s most dangerous hike.  Pictures from this trail are spectacular and terrifying at the same time.  The trail was originally over 100 years old and never maintained.  Many hiker’s used this trail, of course, resulting in injury and some deaths.  It became so popular, the gov’t of Spain put a few millions Euro’s into maintenance and the trail become even more popular.  So, for you adrenaline junkies, this one’s for you. *I just had to add a few pics from their website. Wow!

Back to reality.  Today, we took a tour with our friends, Carmen and Pedro, to the little town of Ronda.  We went through gorgeous countryside.  The farms were magnificent.  Seems like there was no wasted land, but all used for growing crops or raising livestock.  In this area, crops included almonds, as well as figs, olives, carob, pomegranate, grapes and raisins.  We enjoyed seeing the rolling hills with rows and rows of olive trees.  We stopped at a small restaurant for a coffee break.  It was interesting to see the hams hanging from the ceiling, like we saw in Italy.  We saw one pig wrapped in foil with his hooves sticking out.  Lol.  Hey, the meat is fresh and I bet it’s delicious.  

Soon we arrived in the town of Ronda.  We got off the bus and followed our guide on a walking tour of the town.  It’s most famous for it’s ancient bridge that is 322’ tall and stretches from one side of the gorge to the other.  It’s actually called their new bridge but was finished in 1793.  The oldest bridge in town was built in 1616 and currently only carries pedestrian traffic.  Can you imagine a bridge that old back home lasting that many years?  The view of the houses that overhang the gorge are spectacular.  Next he led us down narrow streets with whitewashed buildings where we saw some orange and lemon trees growing.  The wisteria is also in full bloom here like we saw throughout the Mediterranean.  We went into a hotel and out to their gardens that over look the gorge and where you could see the bridge.  The view was endless.  Looking out across the countryside was a lovely view of green rolling hills.

We went into their Catholic Church that years ago was a mosque.  You could see some of the architecture that had been changed over the years.  The inside had some very ornate statues and a sweet nativity scene that looked very old.  The main altar shimmered in gold.  Sculptures in bronze were exquisite and an enormous chandelier that I bet really sparkles at night.  

We walked across the bridge and headed to the famous Bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda.  From the outside, it doesn’t look that impressive but you walk into this ring and it’s surprisingly large.  It’s approximately 220 feet in diameter surrounded by a passage formed by two rings of stone.  There are two layers of seating, each with five raised rows and 136 pillars that make up 68 arches.  It really reminds me of a Roman theater.  Bull fighting is very popular in this region of Spain.

Next we went to lunch in a restaurant just down the street.  We went inside and sat down.  They immediately started to bring us wine, bread and salad with fresh olive oil, onions and tomatoes.  It was delicious.  Next course we had fish or chicken.  As soon as we finished our meal, we had some free time to roam some of the streets and duck into some small shops.  We didn’t buy many souvenirs for ourselves on this trip because our photos and memories are what we love the most.  We did buy a small wooden dish here made from an olive tree that will be a nice keepsake.

Soon it was time to walk back to the bus.  Ronda was a lovely, little town, rich in history and we enjoyed it very much.  The scenery coming back was just as enjoyable.  I was glued to the window of the bus so I didn’t miss a thing.  Unfortunately, we ran out of time and didn’t get to wander around Malaga, but just driving through was impressive.  We had a quick glimpse of the Cathedral as we drove by.  Soon we were entering the port.  O, the beach was full of people enjoying the sunshine.  Although it was a cool spring day, it certainly didn’t stop them from a happy Saturday at the beach.

We boarded the ship.  I was excited that we would be going through the Strait Of Gibraltar, but unfortunately, it will be after dark.  The strait is famed for being the closest maritime link between Europe and African continents.  It’s only 8 miles wide.  Over the years, there have been studies to see if a Channel Tunnel could be drilled.  It was found the material in the bed of the straits was extremely difficult to drill through and it would be far to expensive.  Now, they are doing a study to propose a 14-mile bridge to cross the strait. The strait is currently one of the busiest waterways across the globe.  There is one major vessel passing through once every 5 minutes.  

During the middle of the night, we passed the Rock of Gibraltar, through the strait and into the Atlantic Ocean.  Adios Spain!  Next stop, Morocco.